


It Tolls for Thee

by Sams_Sister (Sams7)



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Awesome Samantha "Sam" Carter, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, POV Samantha "Sam" Carter, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 04:53:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15187214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sams7/pseuds/Sams_Sister
Summary: Twisting away, she faced…the Kull Warrior. There was no time or opportunity to flee; he had her firmly in his grasp. She stared back at him helplessly as he raised his weapon to fire….





	It Tolls for Thee

**Author's Note:**

> References to episodes, “Jolinar’s Memories,” “Ascension,” “Grace,” “Chimera,” and “Death Knell.”
> 
> Written for the 2006 Sam Carter Ficathon to this request: "I would love some sort of post-ep for Death Knell (Season 7). Or, if you haven't seen/didn't like Death Knell, then a story dealing with the aftermath when Sam is found (rescued or has rescued herself) after being MIA and injured. It can be angsty, humorous, or somewhere in between, and can include any characters - that's all up to you."
> 
> The title is referencing the term “Death Knell” which refers to the way churches would ring funeral bells in honor of someone’s death. It reminded me of the famous lines of the John Donne work, “Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions” which go “…any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee."
> 
> Many thanks to my ever-devoted and diligent beta reader, Evangeline, without whom this story would never be so polished.

~~

_She had been on the run for hours. Her lungs felt like they were ready to burst, but she kept going. A quick stop to catch her breath, then on to find cover. Attempting to ignore the gaping wound in her leg, she pressed on. At last she spotted some thick bushes and headed toward them. She collapsed there, exhausted. Dragging herself into the underbrush, she found it woody and resistant. It didn’t offer as much cover as she had hoped. She tucked her legs in as best she could, her injured thigh screaming in protest. Trying to rest and keep watch proved fruitless, and she felt herself slipping into oblivion._

_She fought it, debated whether to rise again and move on, but did not know where else to run. Finally, she decided to allow herself to rest for a few minutes and closed her eyes. Drawing her legs up further, she attempted to make herself invisible. Just as she was drifting off, she heard a rustling of the brush near her. Her body stiffened, and her heart began to pound. Keeping still, she tried to see what it was. Relief washed over her; it was just a bird lighting on a branch nearby. She sighed silently and relaxed a bit._

_She was brought to her senses by the rush of wings as a rough hand rudely grasped her shoulder and turned her. Twisting away, she faced…the Kull Warrior. There was no time or opportunity to flee; he had her firmly in his grasp. She stared back at him helplessly as he raised his weapon to fire…._

Sam jerked awake, breathing hard. She looked around anxiously, assessing the situation. No one was in sight. Gulping in a few deep breaths, she tried to relax. Approaching footsteps sounded in her ears; she struggled to remain still.

Janet Fraiser’s inquisitive face rounded the bedroom doorway and peered in. Sam took another breath and then sighed in relief.

“Hey, Janet.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to wake you, Sam. I was just checking in.”

Her timing was uncanny. _Did I make noise?_ “It’s okay, Janet. You didn’t wake me. I…I was already awake.”

Janet’s eyes shifted pointedly to the sheets tangled around Sam’s legs. “Nightmare?”

Sam answered quietly, “Yeah.”

Janet came over to the bed and in her most matter-of-fact manner straightened the sheets, patting Sam’s feet soothingly as she finished. “Well, it’s a wonder this hasn’t happened more in the past. The things you’ve been through.” She shook her head.

Sam glanced away. “I know.” She had rarely spoken of the many night terrors she’d experienced over the years; instead she'd just quietly dealt with them on her own. This shouldn’t be any different. Janet shouldn’t have even known about it, but for days after Sam had been cleared for duty, she’d been looking so tired that Janet had guessed what was going on. She’d nearly insisted that Sam return to the infirmary, but agreed to a compromise, staying with her to monitor her rest at night. With Cassie away at school, Sam hadn’t had much of an argument to make against it.

“I barely get you over that whopper of a concussion and you’re out there nearly getting blown up and being chased by an overgrown action figure.” Janet glowered fondly at Sam.

Sam nodded wearily. She was just about breathing normally again.

Janet seemed to notice this. “Do you think you can get back to sleep? I can get you something to help if you want….”

Shaking her head slowly, Sam turned on her side.

Janet laid her hand on Sam’s shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it? That usually helps.”

Sam wasn’t so sure. For her, verbalizing her nightmares seemed only to make them stick more vividly in her memory. Perhaps it was that her brain was overburdened by Jolinar’s memories, as Janet theorized. Perhaps it was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. Everyone has a breaking point, Janet had reminded her. At least she hadn’t had to see MacKenzie again.

“I don’t know, Janet. I’d really rather just try to forget it.”

Janet looked at her knowingly. “Well, why don’t we go have some tea and find an old movie to watch? Maybe that will help.”

Sam nodded. “Sounds good.”

~

A few hours later, after several cups of tea, and a good heart-to-heart, Sam sat dozing on Janet’s recliner. The movie they had watched was long over and the infomercial that followed it was becoming jarringly repetitious enough to bring Sam fully awake. She glanced over to the couch and smiled to see that Janet had fallen asleep with her empty teacup still in her hand. Eyelids drooping, Sam reached over to rescue the cup, then clicked the television off and allowed herself to drift back to sleep.

~

Sam watched for a moment as her father walked away from her, unwilling to think how long it would be until she might see him again. Then she looked away, closing her eyes as she felt the emotion welling up in her. She heard low voices in the hall and recognized the colonel’s voice wishing him well on his mission. The voices went silent and she forced back the tears as she heard the colonel approaching. She’d just regained her composure when he reached her side.

“Sir.”

“Carter.” He looked her over, clearly surveying her injuries. “We just _have_ to stop meeting like this.”

Sam gave him a wry smile. “Yes, sir.”

He gave her a half smirk before turning more serious. “I guess Jacob feels like knocking his head against a brick wall.”

Her stomach clenched and she choked out, “Yeah. He has to try.”

Jack grimaced. “Damned stubborn Tok’ra!”

“Well, I think it’s as much Dad as it is Selmak….”

“Oh, umm, I didn’t mean them _specifically_ , but….”

“They’re pretty stubborn, sir, I know.”

He nodded a little sheepishly. “Yes, well…sorry he won’t be around for a while.”

“It’s okay, sir.” She challenged the masked concern in his eyes. “I’ll be all right.”

“Of course you will.” he remarked in his usual falsely glib manner. “I expect nothing less.” Shifting from one foot to the other, Jack quickly added, “Looks like we’re without Teal’c for a while, too. He’s heading out with Bra’tac to work on repairing the alliance. I don’t think there’s much chance of that now, though.”

Sam frowned, nodding her agreement, “Yeah, pretty unlikely. Daniel isn’t very hopeful.”

Jack shook his head. “No. But it won’t stop him from trying.” He moved his hands restlessly. “Well, so, you'll have as much R & R as you like. Take your time, get back on your feet.”

“Thanks, sir. I shouldn’t be down too long, though.”

“No, I mean it. Take some real time and catch your breath. That’s an order.” His eyebrows narrowed and he looked at her sternly, but it didn’t fool her.

“Yes, sir. I’ll do that.” She gave him a wan smile. She recalled the last time she’d been forced into down time. The scraps of the mini-Stargate from that ordeal were still in her basement.

“Right. Then I’ll just let you get to it.” Jack made a vague gesture with his hands as if not quite sure what to do with them.

Sam smiled gently and nodded at him. She closed her eyes and sighed. The painkillers were making her dopey anyway. She took a deep breath and started to settle in to sleep. She didn’t hear the colonel leave, so she opened her eyes again.

“Sir?”

“Um, I’ll just sit here for a while, shall I?” He looked around for a chair that was inconveniently on the other side of the bed.

“Sure, sir.” She looked at him quizzically.

“No one bothers me if I’m in here,” he said lamely. “You know, that’s the only reason I come in.”

Sam laughed softly. “Right, sir. Of course.” She smiled at him as he settled into the chair. Relaxed now, she allowed herself to give in to sleep.

~

“Sure, that sounds fun. See you at seven, then.” Sam tapped the button to end the call and sighed. Pete was as sweet and attentive as ever, but somehow her head wasn’t quite in it. She took the phone back to the charger and plunked it down. _Shake it off, Carter!_

Looking around aimlessly for something to do in the meantime, her eyes lit on a stack of books and journals that she’d been meaning to read. Strictly speaking, work-related things were supposed to be off-limits – Janet had insisted before she’d agreed that Sam could be on her own again. But, Sam thought as she approached the pile, she got as much pleasure from reading other scholars’ work as she did information that spurred on her own work. Guiltily, she picked up the volume on top. _The Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy_. She smiled. It was always amusing as well as intriguing to read the “latest” theories. Plopping down on the couch and flipping through the pages, she found a former classmate’s entry suitable and settled in for a comfortable read.

She’d barely gotten through the abstract when her mind began to wander. _How HAD Anubis learned of their weapon to counter the Kull Warrior?_ It made no sense. Her mind flashed again to that moment when she realized that she was helpless to defend herself against it. _I just stood there! Why the hell didn’t I move?_

She relived the moment yet again and found herself frozen, staring at the page of the journal but seeing only the enemy’s helmeted face. _If Teal’c and the colonel hadn’t been there…._

A car door slammed and she started. She looked up at the clock, thinking that somehow she’d lost track of time and realized that only a few minutes had passed. Setting the journal aside, she cast about for something else to do. _Tinker with my bike?_ That was a sufficiently distracting thing to do…but she didn’t feel up to doing anything that required that kind of focus. _Housecleaning?_ But she’d already cleaned it twice in the past few days. She’d even dusted and re-alphabetized the bookshelves. _Gardening?_ There was always something to do in the yard. She tossed the journal back on the pile and headed out the back door.

She worked furiously, digging out a bush that had been bugging her for ages but she’d not decided what to replace it with: _I can just leave the hole there until I make up my mind. At least it’s ready to plant when I do_ , she justified. She was immersed in pruning a tall bush at the side of the yard when she heard a car pull up. _Pete!_

_Damn_ , she thought in dismay. “Pete! Over here!” she called as he started up the front walk. She hurried to meet him.

“Hey, Sam,” Pete said as he looked at her with adoring eyes.

She wondered what he could have found to admire; she was covered in dirt and grime and only her gardening gloves protected her hands from matching her clothes. She quickly brushed herself off and tugged at the gloves.

“Sorry…I got busy and lost track of time. I’ll go in and take a quick shower.”

A slight shadow passed over his face, but he quickly assured her, “It’s okay…no rush. We don’t have to be there until eight-thirty.” He smiled.

She started to turn and head toward the house, but he stopped her.

“Don’t I even get a kiss?”

His crestfallen look and plaintive tone sparked a pang of guilt. She gave him a quick peck on the lips, and said, “I’m filthy; just let me get cleaned up.”

Pete nodded agreeably, “Okay, off you go.” He headed up the steps, reaching to open the door for her. He stopped in surprise when he found it was locked. He gave her a puzzled look.

Sam looked at him sheepishly as she slipped the key out of her back pocket. “Just an old habit my dad got me into,” she lied. She’d never locked the door before, but she’d been on edge since the brush with the Kull Warrior. She knew it was irrational, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being pursued.

A little later Sam was almost ready. She put the finishing touches on her hair and went into the bedroom to get a necklace. As she was fishing through the drawer, she was startled by a dark figure coming upon her. Panicking, she turned to confront it, her hands raised in self-defense.

“Whoa, hey!” Pete’s voice cut through her confusion.

“Don’t DO that!” she barked.

“Do what? I was just checking to see if you were ready.” He looked at her incredulously.

Her heart was beating thunderously in her ears. She swallowed and took a deep breath. “Sorry. You just startled me.”

“I guess _so_.” He stared at her, then his eyes softened. “It’s okay…I’m sorry, too.” He reached toward her to stroke her cheek, but she pulled away, still rattled. “Look, Sam, we don’t have to go out tonight. Let’s just stay here and relax. Something’s obviously bothering you.”

“No, no, I’m fine. I…I forgot something, though. Be right back.” She hurried into the bathroom, feeling his stare bore into her back.

~

“Hey, I thought you had strict orders to stay at home and rest?” Daniel’s tone was one of mock authority.

Sam looked up from her computer. “Hi, Daniel.”

He looked at her with raised eyebrows as if awaiting an explanation.

“Oh, you know how it is. I do better getting back to work,” she said, trying to sound casual. “Besides, who are you to talk?”

“Okay, okay, I know.” He held his hands up. “Just filling in for Jack. What does he DO up there at that godforsaken cabin of his anyway?”

“Fishes, I guess.” She started to return to her figures, but recalled that Daniel had not filled her in on any news of the alliance. She had gone straight to work without talking to anyone. “Any word?”

“Nothing new. The Tok’ra aren’t responding anymore and the Jaffa are back to infighting about being involved with allies at all. They suspect us as much as the Tok’ra.”

Sam shook her head as thoughts of her dad flashed through her mind. She sat for a long minute staring at her computer screen. “All the more reason why we have to find a way to defeat Anubis.” She’d been back at work for a week but was no further along than when she’d started.

Daniel frowned. “I don’t know, Sam. The more I think about it, the more I think it’s going to be next to impossible. It’s hard enough to defeat an ordinary Goa’uld, let alone an ascended one.”

“Well, his super soldiers aren’t ascended and we have a weapon to use against them. We just have to improve it and mass-produce it. That’s what I’m working on.” It had to work. She wouldn’t quit until she’d found a way to address the weaknesses that were still inherent in the prototype.

Daniel’s blue eyes searched her own. “Okay, Sam.” He lingered for a moment, then wandered out.

~

_She calculated the distance and set up the rocket, knowing she'd have a single chance. She waited until the Kull Warrior got closer, resisting the urge to set it off the moment he came into view. Taking steady breaths, she forced herself to wait until he reached the spot she’d targeted. One more step. NOW! The rocket streamed off and she ducked, holding her breath momentarily as the explosion raised earth and gravel. Stealing a look, she saw nothing but dust._

_Cautiously rising and approaching as the dust settled, she saw his body showing through the rubble. Direct hit! She sighed heavily and sank onto a rock. Just as she was starting to relax, she heard a noise and was horrified to see the warrior move. But she found she could summon no strength to flee. And there was no way she could move fast enough to elude him. She braced herself for the shot that was bound to come. And heard it. But it didn’t hit her._

_Jerking around, suddenly energized, she realized that Teal’c was firing on the Kull Warrior. She dragged herself to her feet and hobbled toward where she now saw the colonel taking position. He needed the cartridge for the weapon to be effective. She had to reach him in time. As she hurried desperately toward him, weapon fire sounded from behind. Ahead, she saw the colonel rise to take aim with the useless weapon._

_He was hit full in the chest and was blown backwards. She gasped as she continued to run in his direction, praying that Teal’c’s fire would continue. Stumbling past the rocks, she flung herself down by the colonel’s motionless body. She dragged herself toward him and saw his blank eyes and found herself gagging at the sight of the gaping wound in his chest. Hearing shots behind her, she scrambled to wrest the weapon from his lifeless hands. Too late! The warrior was upon her and she again steeled herself against the shot she knew would come. His arm raised and she saw the blast…._

She sat straight up in bed, gasping for breath, her heart pounding.

~

“I thought I told you to get some R & R.”

Sam jumped as her CO’s voice broke her concentration. She stared blankly at her computer screen for a moment and then looked up at him.

“Sir, you’re back.”

“Yeah…it rained for three days straight and I figured there was no point in staying. Not much to do inside the cabin.”

“Ah.”

“So, whatcha doin’?”

“Trying to perfect the prototype….”

“Carter! There’s a whole team working on that…take a break!”

“I know, sir. There’s just so much to do. With all the setbacks after the beta site was destroyed, I have a lot to catch up on.” She’d worked feverishly for the past week, despite orders to take it easy, and despite Pete’s worried tone when she’d put him off yet again. She just couldn’t pull away – certainly not now when she felt she was finally making a breakthrough.

“You can’t expect to catch up overnight….”

Sam looked down. “Look, sir, I just need to get this done. Please.” She avoided his eyes. She wasn’t fooling him any more than she had Daniel.

“All right, Carter. But don’t stay too late or I’m coming back and personally escorting you off the base. Understood?”

She glanced up at him and nodded reluctantly. “Yes, sir.”

He stood for a moment longer in the doorway. Sam waited apprehensively. Then he muttered, “Carry on!” and breezed out of the lab.

~

In what seemed like only minutes later, Sam heard footsteps approaching her door. Without looking up, she protested, “It can’t be six o’clock already!”

“Indeed it is not,” a deep voice resounded.

Sam’s head came up and she tossed a quick smile at Teal’c, barely taking her eyes off the computer simulation running on her screen. “What’s up? Or have you come to nag me too?” She had found a solution and was waiting impatiently for the simulation to bear out her plan. She glanced back at Teal’c.

Teal’c raised an eyebrow and replied, “I have brought you lunch.”

“Oh…thanks, Teal’c.” She tried to sound interested, but the simulation consumed her. “I’m just about finished…then I’ll eat.” She watched intently as the proper sequence of events fell into place on the screen. Just a few more steps and she’d know if this newest modification was a success.

“I believe you would work more effectively with proper sustenance.”

“I know, Teal’c, but I almost have this….”

“Major Carter.”

The urgency in his voice caught her attention. “What is it, Teal’c?”

“Your diligence in this matter is admirable. But you are not to blame for the security breach at the beta site.”

She blinked at him in surprise. She hadn’t consciously blamed herself, but took her share of the responsibility. “Oh, no, Teal’c, it isn’t that. It’s…it’s just….”

Staring at his face she was suddenly haunted by the image of his scorched body in one of her recent dreams. She tried to shake it, but couldn’t repress a shudder.

“Are you unwell, Major Carter?” Teal’c’s concerned voice broke the spell.

“No, no, I’m fine. Sorry. I just can’t rest until I’ve found the way to destroy the super soldiers.”

“I understand.” Teal’c’s earnest gaze held hers and she found a measure of peace for a moment. Then a sudden beeping came from the computer.

She returned her attention to the simulation and surveyed the results. A wave of relief washed over her. “Teal’c! It worked!”

“I had little doubt that it would,” he said, giving her a warm smile. Then his smiled quirked. “Now it is time for lunch.”

Sam laughed.

~

_The shots were coming heavily now. Sam raced across the clearing, scarcely noticing her injured leg. The warrior returned fire and exploding rock shards seemed to be everywhere…._

_Sam reached the rocks where the colonel had taken cover and shouted, “Sir!” He handed the oversized weapon across to her and she deftly snapped the cartridge into place. Taking aim quickly, she fired once straight at the warrior’s chest. He appeared to slow, but stepped forward once more. She fired again, and this time the warrior stopped in his tracks. Slowly he sank to his knees, then fell face forward to the ground. He lay there immobile for a few long moments. Teal’c approached the body cautiously. Kicking at the warrior’s feet, he was unable to rouse him. Teal’c turned, nodding his assurance that the super soldier was indeed dead._

_Sam was still poised for another shot, but now breathed a sigh of relief. The thing was dead. The prototype had worked. Handing the weapon to the colonel, she smiled wearily and sank onto a rock to rest._

She woke to the sound of a bird singing in the early dawn. Listening for a moment, she calmly turned over and settled in for a good, long sleep.

~

_fin_


End file.
